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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048494">help me, help you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinneyb/pseuds/kinneyb'>kinneyb</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Castlevania (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alucard and Hector help each other heal and find love, M/M, Season 3 fix-it, because they deserve it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 05:47:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048494</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinneyb/pseuds/kinneyb</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hector finds a spell in a book, he contacts a stranger for help; a stranger who, frankly, needs help of their own.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Hector</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>166</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>fuck plot honestly i just want some soft happy alucard/hector</p>
<p>also tagged non-con simply bc of what is mentioned in this chapter and perhaps flashbacks/memories but none of it will be graphic, just wanted to air on the side of caution!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hector needed help—any kind of help he could get at this point. He had his own building, now, large and inviting. Or should’ve been, might’ve been if he wasn’t being kept as a literal prisoner. They wanted him to believe he was free — no longer collared or chained up — but he wasn’t. He was still in the exact same spot but now he had a ring on his finger capable of killing him.</p>
<p>He obeyed their every word, helped them whenever they asked. If he even <em>thought </em>about not obeying, the ring would burn, not much but enough. He always found Lenore watching him, an amused quirk to her lips.</p>
<p>Hector wanted her dead. He had thought they were bonding, truly, but he had only been manipulated again. God, how could he be so<em> dumb? </em>There was no good in this world or the next; he should’ve known that by now, after everything with Dracula.</p>
<p>Humans couldn’t be trusted. Vampires couldn’t be trusted. They’d all — the entire world — would be better off dead.</p>
<p>Hector couldn’t kill himself, though. He had tried, but the ring detected that, too, and stopped him, warning the others. Lenore was always the one who visited him, though, a disappointed frown on her pretty face.</p>
<p>“Pet,” she would purr, and he’d shiver, stepping back, “You know better.”</p>
<p>Hector wanted to yell at her, but he also knew better than to do that. She’d just hit him, or bed him, or leave him. He hated every option, even the last because — because God, despite <em>everything</em>, Hector still hated being alone. He was pathetic.</p>
<p>“Come now,” Lenore said.</p>
<p>He looked up; he’d been reading another book, part of the large collection they had left him. Lenore stood in the doorway; it was night. All he could see behind her was darkness, unwelcoming.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to,” he replied quickly, meaning it.</p>
<p>Lenore hummed, soft and thoughtful, tilting her head back and forth. “Tomorrow, then,” she said, respecting his wishes. She did that a lot, and he was surprised to find he hated it. Because it was all an act, he knew. “Sleep well, pet.”</p>
<p>Turning away, she closed the door and Hector was alone again. His eyes stung with tears.</p>
<p>He was so fucking pathetic. He wanted to die. He couldn’t.</p>
<p>Looking back down at the book, he could no longer read through the tears gathering in his eyes, blurring his vision. Sighing, he stood up and walked out of the room to the bedroom — <em>his </em>bedroom, he supposed, but he would always feel like a stranger as he stripped and climbed in the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin.</p>
<p>Some nights Lenore would spend with him, even if he declined her advances. On top of everything else, as if he wasn’t in enough pain already, she was taking advantage of him in a new way. It was, somehow, worse than all the others.</p>
<p>Hector curled over and buried his face in the pillow. His cheek ached from when Carmilla had paid him a visit the other day — a rare and unwelcomed sight.</p>
<p>She was outwardly violent, unlike his sister, and frankly he preferred that. He preferred honesty.</p>
<p>None of the vampires cared about him, just like no human ever had. He was alone, and perhaps unlovable — that would explain a lot, at least. Fresh tears gathered in his eyes and he roughly wiped them away, praying for sleep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hector opened his eyes; it was morning. During the day, none of the vampires — not even Lenore — visited him. It was the only time he felt somewhat okay, like he could live without fear of being hit or assaulted at any second. He heated up some water, fixed himself a cup of tea, and sat down at the table with it.</p>
<p>He sipped it gingerly. The heat was comforting on the back of his throat.</p>
<p>After a moment, he stood up, bored just sitting there, and walked to the bookshelf. They had left him so many books; it was their one kindness. He looked them over without really reading any of the spines and plucked a random book off the shelf.</p>
<p>Walking back over, he sat and opened it.</p>
<p>It was a book on spells and magic, nothing new. Hector had already tried doing spells; the ring always detected it. He could only do spells the sisters approved of.</p>
<p>Flipping through the pages, he suddenly stopped, pursing his lips. It wasn’t anything special; just an easy mirror spell. Hector glanced over at the only mirror in the whole place; it was mostly shattered, cracks through most of it. <em>He </em>had done that, tired of looking at his own busted reflection.</p>
<p>Shaking his head, he read the rest of the spell — it allowed communication through mirrors.</p>
<p>Write on the mirror with anything — ink, he had ink — and the other person would get it, and they could reply back. Hector’s stomach lurched, hoping. Maybe it would work. Maybe this time would be different. But he knew better.</p>
<p>He glanced at the ring, wiggled his finger.</p>
<p>Some of the page had been ripped out, so it was probably useless anyway. Hector closed the book.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But Hector couldn’t stop hoping. It was a stupid thing — hope — but it was also stubborn. Lenore visited him during the night, carrying a basket. It was full of food, <em>good </em>food but Hector wasn’t hungry. He was never hungry. Lenore did not seem pleased, eyes narrowing, so he took some chicken and nibbled on it.</p>
<p>Pleased, she joined him on the bed. “You’ve been putting me off for too long,” she purred, and he stiffened. He was definitely no longer hungry, couldn’t even fake it. He dropped the piece of chicken and she scooped it up, disposing of it.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to,” he said, weakly.</p>
<p>Lenore scooted closer and placed a hand on his thigh. “But <em>don’t </em>you?” she asked, lowly. “Lay back.”</p>
<p>He didn’t, he didn’t. He didn’t want any of this, but he knew better than to fight her. She was small and thin, but she was strong. Hector laid back, and she crawled on top of him. Tears pooled in his eyes. She looked displeased again.</p>
<p>“Stop that,” she snapped harshly.</p>
<p>Hector tried, really, but he couldn’t. Sighing heavily, she rolled off him.</p>
<p>“Just sleep,” she said. Hector closed his eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hector opened his eyes and she was gone, nowhere to be seen. He sat up and stared at his hands, at the ring. His stomach lurched. He had to do <em>something</em>, even if it meant getting a visit from Carmilla again. He climbed out of bed, threw on his pants, and went to the living room. The book was still there, untouched and closed.</p>
<p>He opened it and walked over to the mirror. He didn’t even bother to grab anything, just dipped his fingers in the ink and started writing.</p>
<p>Muttering the spell under his breath, he swirled his finger across the broken glass, nearly cutting it,</p>
<p>
  <em>I don’t care who gets this. Please help me.</em>
</p>
<p>That was the problem; the part of the page missing likely specified how to aim. Didn’t matter. Hector was willing to accept help from even the lowest of demons at this point. He waited and waited, his own words slowly disappearing.</p>
<p>Then they were gone. Hector stared at his reflection, cracked and wonky.</p>
<p>“I should’ve known better,” he whispered. He found himself saying that a lot. Small blessings, though, his ring hadn’t done anything. Hector assumed the spell was so tiny even the ring hadn’t detected it. Sighing, he turned away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It wasn’t until the next morning he realized he had gotten a reply. Written in bold across the mirror,</p>
<p>
  <em>My reply depends entirely on the messenger. </em>
</p>
<p>Hector’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly scrubbed it away, afraid of Lenore or Carmilla finding it. But he was so giddy he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He didn’t need to know the other person’s identity. He just needed help and if he played his cards right, replied correctly, maybe they would give him just that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>another gentle reminder for vague mentions of canon compliant sexual assault</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hector waited a couple days before replying. He didn’t know why; he <em>wanted </em>to reply immediately but he knew he needed to be smart about this. The other person didn’t seem very trusting; he had to decide on the best reply, something that would appeal to them.</p><p>But sadly that meant surviving more days with Lenore and Carmilla and the other women.</p><p>Lenore visited him on the third night and was not as kind as last time; she pushed him down and took what she wanted, not caring if he cried or begged her to stop. Afterwards, she pulled on her dress and left without saying a word.</p><p>Hector stared at the ceiling, vision blurred by his tears. He sniffed and climbed out of bed.</p><p>He couldn’t wait any longer.</p><p>Wiping roughly at his eyes, he walked to the living room and stopped in front of the mirror.</p><p><em>I don’t know what to say, </em>he scribbled, fingers smudged with ink, <em>but I will die if you don’t help me.</em></p><p>It wasn’t the truth, not exactly. The vampires obviously wanted him alive to do their bidding and the ring prevented him from killing himself, which was a morbid thought he had considered more than once. But somehow Hector still believed his words.</p><p>He would die if he stayed here. Maybe not his body, but his soul would be dead.</p><p>Waiting, he slumped in a chair, head in his hands. When he looked up, he saw a reply. Hope blossomed in his chest. It was just one word, but to Hector it meant everything.</p><p>
  <em>Explain.</em>
</p><p>He stayed up all night conversing with the stranger, explaining everything. Sometimes they wouldn’t reply for minutes at a time. Each time, Hector was filled with dread.</p><p>Finally, <em>I know who you are.</em></p><p>Hector paused, genuinely surprised. He hadn’t mentioned himself or even the vampires by name. Didn’t think there was a point, assumed this person wouldn’t know any of them, anyway.</p><p>
  <em>You do?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I do.</em>
</p><p><em>Are you going to tell me how? </em>he replied, a bit irritably. Not that the person could tell through the mirror.</p><p><em>Not now, </em>was their reply. <em>But I will help you.</em></p><p>Hector’s heart skipped a beat. His hands shook. <em>You will?</em></p><p>
  <em>On a few conditions.</em>
</p><p>Hector hated conditions, especially after everything, but he had no other choice.<em> Okay. Tell me.</em></p><p>
  <em>You will listen to everything I say. No questioning me.</em>
</p><p>Hector frowned, not liking it. Was he to be saved just to be enslaved again? But again, he was out of options. He glanced at the door before looking back.<em> Fine.</em></p><p>
  <em>And if I get even the smallest suspicion you are tricking me or lying to me, I will murder you on the spot.</em>
</p><p>Hector froze, ink dripping from his finger to the floor. He took a shaky breath and squared his shoulders. He had no reason to be scared; he was not tricking or lying the person. He was telling the truth. Anyway, he would prefer death over imprisonment. He knew that, now. <em>Okay, I understand. </em></p><p><em>Very well, </em>they replied. <em>Do you have parchment? </em></p><p>Hector grabbed some parchment out of the desk in the room before hurrying back to the mirror.<em> Yes.</em></p><p>
  <em>You will need a mirror big enough to step through.</em>
</p><p>Hector faltered, staring into the small, cracked mirror.<em> I can get one, </em>he replied quickly. The vampires had been giving him anything he asked for, within reason.</p><p>
  <em>Good. I’ll do most of the work; you’ll just wait near it while I perform the spell and step through when the time is right.</em>
</p><p>Hector tilted his head, curls falling in his eyes. He brushed them away. <em>How will I know?</em></p><p><em>You’ll know,</em> he replied simply.<em> Contact me again when you have the mirror and we’ll start.</em></p><p>Hector chewed on the inside of his cheek. He glanced at his ring. If <em>he </em>wasn’t performing the spell, there should be no worries of it activating and warning the others <em>but </em>if he left, Lenore had warned him about the consequences. The pain would be so bad it’d probably, literally, kill him (her exact words). He took a shaky breath and started writing again,</p><p>
  <em>There’s something else you should know. </em>
</p><p>There was a long pause before he got a reply; a simple<em> What?</em></p><p>Hector told them about the ring. Afterwards, they didn’t reply again for what felt like hours. He had screwed up; they no longer had any interest in helping him.</p><p><em>I will help with that when you get here,</em> they replied finally. Hector let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He wanted to ask<em> how?</em> but honestly, for once, he wanted to just hope and believe. He replied <em>okay </em>and that was that. He would need to wait for a mirror before contacting them again. He just hoped Lenore and the others wouldn’t question him.</p><p> </p><p>When he asked Lenore for a bigger mirror, preferably a full-length one, she only gave him a bored look, “You do know if you try anything with it, you’ll regret it.” It wasn’t a question, though, just a simple statement.</p><p>Hector smiled tightly. “I know,” he said, meaning it.</p><p>Shrugging primly, she walked over and joined him, tossing her feet in his lap. He startled. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll see what I can do.” Reaching over, she pet his arm. “Good boy asking for what you want.”</p><p>Hector’s stomach lurched uncomfortably. He just nodded, not trusting his words.</p><p> </p><p>The mirror arrived days later. Hector watched as one of the guards placed it in his bedroom. He hadn’t asked for that, but Lenore just winked once he had left. “I thought we could have some fun with it,” she purred, and he smiled, entirely forced, not wanting to upset her.</p><p>Thankfully, she seemed busy, so she didn’t stay. Hector numbly walked her to the door.</p><p>“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she said, cupping his face and kissed him on the lips. He didn’t kiss back; he never did, but she never cared much. Pulling back, she patted his cheek. “Be a good boy.”</p><p>Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left, closing the door. Hector slumped to the floor and covered his face with his hands, shoulders shaking.</p><p> </p><p>He stood up a couple hours later. He wiped roughly at his eyes and squared his shoulders. He walked to the bedroom and closed the door, walking to the mirror.</p><p>
  <em>Okay, I have the mirror. Please hurry.</em>
</p><p>He didn’t get a quick reply, but a couple hours later he finally received a simple <em>Hold on, wait for</em><em> it.</em></p><p>Hector’s fingers twitched, wanting to reply <em>wait for what?</em> but he refrained, sitting on his hands. He watched from the bed. He thought of the ring on his finger, wondered if this person could really do something about it.</p><p>That’s when he saw it: the light glow from the mirror, growing brighter and brighter. His heart soared as he stood on shaky legs. Magic, and not just any magic — it’s powerful stuff. He slowly approached the mirror and experimentally touched it.</p><p>His finger sunk through the mirror, disappearing from sight. Fuck. It was working.</p><p>Hector looked at the door, expecting Lenore or Carmilla or any of the other vampires — even the guards — to burst through at any second. But they don’t.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the mirror and stepped through.</p>
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